Weft stop motion for narrow ware loom



- April 9, 1957 L. o. wATERHoUsE ET AL 22,788,025

WEF-T STOP MOTION FOR NARROW WARE LOOM Filed June 22, i954 3 RTHMZ 1.?

lNvENToRs 58 jo LEwls o. wATERHousE ALBERT oEDERLuND KENNETH .1. HALLIllia-172,1?.

www@

42 so 59 ATTORNEY United Statesv Patent O tra WEET STOP MOTION FORNARROW WARE LOOM Lewis O. Waterhouse, Oxford, and Albert Cederlund andKenneth J. Hall, Worcester, Mass., assignors to Crompton & Knowles LoomWorks, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June22, 1954, Serial No. 438,370 13 Claims. (Cl. 139-371) This inventionrelates to improvements of wett stop motions for narrow ware looms andit is the general object of the invention to provide a simple meansoperating electrically to stop the loom whenever the thread of anyshuttle of the loom is broken or becomes unduly slack.

Narrow ware looms operate with a gang of quillcarrying shuttles each ofwhich is moved positively through its warp shed back and forth from oneshuttle block to another on the lay. A rack running lengthwise of thelay meshes with a pinion rotatable on each shuttle block and meshingfirst with one shuttle and then another. Unless weft breakage orslackness can be detected promptly in each shuttle there is the riskthat a web corresponding to a shuttle with a broken thread may fail tobe woven. It is an important object of the present invention to provideeach shuttle block with a normally open electric switch and a closertherefor which can be operated by a detector on either of two shuttleswhich may be in the shuttle block to close the switch.

The shuttle block ordinarily has a bearing, such as a stud or bolt, forits pinion and it is a further object of the invention to make theswitch and its closer part of a unit which is held to the shuttle blockby this bearing.

It is another object of the invention to provide a unit comprising asupport or base held in iixed position on the shuttle block and havingthe switch closer pivoted thereon to be engaged by a shuttle carrieddetector normally held in raised position when the thread is taut butfalling upon breakage of the weft to a position where it can, due tomotion of the shuttle, actuate the closer to close the switch. Thelatter is supported on the unit preferably forwardly of a dat back orwall of the unit which is held against the shuttle block.

The switch as set forth hereinafter is of the type utiliz ing a plungerto be depressed by a spring arm on the switch which due to itsresilience is normally held away from the plunger but is pushed towardthe latter by the closer to depress the plunger for the purpose ofclosing the switch. The closer will tend by its momentum to close ,theswitch as the lay approaches front center. lIt is a further object ofthe invention to provide means for adjusting the position of the switchto vary the degree of force exerted by the spring arm on the closer toprevent the latter from moving forwardly due to its momentum and thuscause a false closure of the switch.

The detector is preferably provided with an eye through which the threadpasses to hold the detector in nonindicating position when the thread isin normal condition. The detector may be in the form of a wire the endsof which are inserted into the shuttle on opposite sides of the quillcompartment to provide a pivotal mounting and the shuttle is providedwith a stop shoulder to engage part of the detector to determine itsangular position when in indicating position with respect to theshuttle. It is a further object of the invention to cause the detectorwhen in indicating position to be inclined downwardly and forwardly insuch position that the Patented Apr. 9, 1957 force exerted by it whenoperating the switch closer will pendent upon presence of the thread eyeon the detector.-

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is madeto the accompanying drawing which illustrates by way of example anembodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a narrow ware loom having theinvention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view looking in the direction of arrow 2,Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a detailed front elevation of the detecting and indicatingunit and part of the shuttle block to which it is secured,

Fig. 4 is a side view partly in a section looking in the direction ofarrow 4, Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed vertical section on line* closer anddetector in side elevation and indicating a closer in pivotal closingposition in dotted line.

Referring to Fig. 1, the lay 1 of the loom is mounted on layswords, twoof which are indicated at 2. Secured to and extending upwardly from thelay are shuttle blocks of which four are indicated herein at 3, 4, 5 and6. The shuttle blocks are spaced from each other to provide room for thereeds 7. shown herein the shuttle blocks accommodate circular shuttlesthree of which are indicated at S1, S2 and S3. Each shuttle block isprovided with a pinion 8 meshing with a rack 9 extending lengthwise ofthe lay and reciprocated in well known manner by a mechanism not shownherein. Each shuttle block is provided with two intersecting arctuategrooves or slots 10 and 11 which extend respectively upwardly to theleft and to the right.

a bearing, such as bolt 12, see Fig. 4 having a head 13V' and a nut 14.

Each shuttle is provided with a quill compartment 15 to accommodate aweft quill 16 rotated on a rod 17 which is held on the shuttle in theusual manner and extends across the compartment as shown in Fig. 2. Theusual brake 18 engages the weft W on the quill to resist rotation of thelatter and the shuttle is provided with eyes 19 and 20 mounted onsprings 21 the ends of which areanchored in the shuttle. is providedwith a delivery eye 23 and has a wire 24 secured thereto along whichtravels a ring 25 through which the weft is threaded. When weaving theweft passes through the ring 25, eyes 19 and 20, then through an eye 26to be described in more detail hereinafter, and thence through thedelivery eye 23.

Except for the eye 26 the matter thus far described is of usualconstruction and operates in the usual manner.

ln carrying the invention into eiiect the shuttle is pro vided with adetector designated generally at D formed as shown herein oi a wirewhich is curved and lies sub stantially in a plane. The ends of the wireare bent as at 30 to t loosely into holes 31 in shuttle serving asbearings for the detector. The inner end of each hole 31 opens into arecess 32 having top and bottom shoulders or walls 33 and 34respectively which servev as stops to limit angular motion of thedetector D. As

In the form of the invention'- The bow 22 of the Shuttlerefreshescontemplated herein ,therecesses 32 will Abetorrned Vin the shuttle onopposite sides of the compartment 15, although the invention is notnecessarily limited to the use of both recesses. The previouslydescribed eye 26 is located at midpoint-along thelength ofthe detectoron the side thereof toward the lquill as shown forinstance in Fig. 2,and the detecter is bowed forwardlyas at 35 in a direction `awayfromtthe quill. Ordinarily, the detector will be in the raisednonindicating position shown in Fig. `4 when the weft ist-aut, butuponbreakage or undue slackness of the weft the detector will Yfall .tothe position shown in Fig. 8, being limited in its downward motion byshoulder 34 which holdsthe detectorin an oblique position which isinclined downwardly and forwardly, see Fig. 8.

The switch and switch closing Vunit U includes a llat wallor base titland a forwardly extending bottom 41 terminating in an upturned frontwall 42 substantially parallel to the back wall. The previouslydescribed bolt 12 passes ,through the base wall 4G and its head 13 holdsthe wall rmly against the front wall 45 of `the shuttle block. Asindicated Yin `Fig. 3 the bolt 12 is located centrally of the width ofits shuttle block so that the artis thereoi:` is directly undertheintersection of the two curved slots and 11.

The wall 4G is formed with two forwardly extending cars 46 and 47located respectively at the right and left sides of the wall as shown inFig. 3. The switch closer, designated generally at C, is shown herein inthe form of a wire the left end of which is bent as at 48 to passthrough the ear 47 which serves as a bearing for it. The right-hand endof the closer vis bent to the right at 49 and passes through the ear46,-which serves as a bearing, and is then bent forwardly to form afinger 50 extending over a normally open switch designated generally atE. The switch closer is of the general form shown in Fig. 3 and hassecured to the upper part thereof an arm 51.. which extends forwardlyand has its front end curved upwardly as at 52 to form a hook forengagement with the detector D.

The switch. E has a plunger 55 normally in raised position correspondingto the open condition of the switch. When the plunger is depressed ,theswitch will be closed.

ecured to the switch is a flat spring 56 extending over the plunger andunder the finger. The spring 56 is formed of sheet metal the left-handend of which, see Fig. 3, extends downwardly at 57 and is fastened tothe switch in any approved manner. "fhe wall 42 is formed with ahorizontal slot 58 and screws 59 passing through the switch and the slot53 are threaded into a clock 6-3 behind the wall 42. When screws 59 areloosened the switch E and the block 6) can be moved horizontally on thewall d2 so as to vary the distance between the downturned part 57 of thespring arm 56 and the finger 50. The switch may be connected to wires 61and 52 which in turn are connected to a loom stopping mechanism notshown herein but effective when the wires are electrically connected byplunger 55l to stop the loom promptly. Loom control means similar tothat shown in Hutchins Patent No. 2,512,428 can be used if desired.

ln operation, the shuttles will move back and forth along their curvedpaths and so long as their wefts are under proper tension each detectorD will ne held in raised position, as shown in Fig. 4, and `the fingers56 of the closers C will be prevented fromclosing their switchesE bytheir spring arms 56 andthe switches'will remain open. With cach passageof a shuttle its detector D `will traverse a pathA above the hooked end52 of the c.f.n'respo1i iing cl ser and the latter will be held/intheposition shown in full lines` in Figs. 4 and S by spring arm 5 therebypermitting continued running of the loom. if the thread of any shuttleshould be broken as indicated for instance at 65 in Figs. 7 and 8, orbecome unduly slack, its detector will not be sup 35 of the detectorwill engage the curved end 52 of the closer and move the latterforwardly from the full line to the dotted line position, therebydepressing the finger 50 and arm 56 to push the plunger 55 down withresulting closure of switch E and stoppage of the loom. During thisoperation the force exerted by the detector on the closer will .be in aplane vpassing through -thc axis of the detector and the latter will notbe subjected to a lateral force which might bend it. The `radius ofcurvature of part 35 of the detector which engages the closer ispreferably less than the radius of the path of the shuttle to insurecorrect forward movement of the closer C when the latter is engaged bythe detector.

As the lay moves forward the momentum of. the closer C will tend to moveit from the full line to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 8, butthis tendency is counteracted by the spring arm 56 which exerts anupward force on finger 50 to hold the closer against base 40. Theadjustment of the switch along the slot 5S as already described providesmeans for varying the amount of upward force exerted by spring arm 56against linger 59, the downturned part 57 of the spring arm serving moreor less as a pivot around which the arm swings. The manner of thisadjustment will be understood from Fig. 6.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth asimple form of stop motion for narrow ware looms wherein the detector D,when unsupported due to a fault in the weft, will engage the closer Cand move the latter forwardly to effect closure of switch E which willresult in loom stoppage. The unit U `includes the base di), the ears 46and 47, the closer pivoted on the earsJ and switch E. The switch. can beadjusted horizontally to vary the upward force exerted by spring 56 onthe finger 50 to Overcome the tendency of the closer due to its momentumto give a false indication as the lay approaches front center position.Also, the shut tle is provided with notches 32 which define walls 33 and34, the purpose of which is to limit angular motion of the detector, thelatter wall causing the detector when in dropped or indicating positionto lie in a plane 'which is inclined downwardly and forwardly from theaxis of the detector. The force exerted on the closer by the detectorpasses through the axis of the latter and there is no tendency to bendthe detector laterally of its plane. The eye 26 in the detector insuresproper lifting action 0f the weft on the detector and prevents the weftfrom sliding along the detector to a position where it might not be ableto support the detector. The arm 51 and its upwardly curved end 52 arelocated symmetrically with respect to `a vertical plane passing throughthe intersection of the slots 10 and 11` in the shuttle block and theaxis of bolt 12, so that the detector of each of two shuttles which canoccupy a block can cooperate with closer C. This arrangement enables theloom to be stopped on any beat thereof on which a weft fault occurs.Also, the bearing means, such as stud or bolt 12, .is utilized to holdthe unit U in position on the shuttle block.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of theinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, which isclaimed is:

1l. In an electric switch and switch closing unit for the shuttle blockof a narrow ware loom operating with a shuttle .movable in the .shuttleblock and having a detector in indicating position when lthe weft of theshuttle is broken, said unit comprising a base including a flat wall forattachment to the shuttle block, spaced ears on said wall providingbearings, a normally open electric switch mounted on said base forwardof said wall and `'the axis of said bearings, a switch closer forengagement with the detector pivoted on said bearings and having a partextending forwardly from the axis of said bearings and movable with thecloser to close the switch, and resilient means on the base normallyexerting a force holding the closer with said part in nonclosingposition relative `to the switch, said closer when moved pivotally onsaid bearings away from the nonclosing position thereof causing saidpart to eect closure of said switch.

2. The unit set forth in claim 1 wherein said resilient means is betweenthe switch and closer and transmits force from the closer to the switchto close the latter.

3. The unit set forth in claim l wherein the resilient means is fastenedto the switch and provision is made to adjust the position of the switchand resilient means on said base in a direction toward and from saidpart of the closer to vary the force exerted by the resilient means onsaid closer tending to hold the latter in nonclosing position.

4. The unit set forth in claim 3 wherein the base has a second wallforward of said flat wall provided with a horizontal slot and holdingmeans extending through said slot holds the switch in adjusted position-along said second wall to vary said force exerted vby the resilientmeans on the closer.

5. In an electric switch and switch closing unit for the shuttle blockof la narrow ware loom, said unit comprising a fiat base for engagementwith the shuttle block, ears extending forwardly from said baseproviding aligned bearings having an axis forward of said base, a wallforward of the axis of said bearings integral with and forward of andsubstantially parallel to said hat base, a normally vopen electricswitch on said wall, a closer pivoted in said bearings and having a partextending forwardly from said axis `over said switch, land resilientmeans exerting a force normally holding the closer in nonclosingposition, said closer when moved pivot-ally away from the nonclosingposition thereof causing said part thereof to close the switch.

6. The unit set forth in claim 5 wherein said wall has a horizontal slotsubstantially parallel to the axis yof said bearings and means extendingthrough the slot provide for holding the switch in adjusted positionparallel to said axis and along said wall, and said force exerted by`said resilient means holding the closer in nonclosing position isvariable, depending upon the position of the switch along said wall.

7. The unit set forth in claim 6 wherein the resilient means is a flatspring secured to and moving with the switch and is located between theswitch and said part of the closer.

8. In a stop motion for a narrow ware loom having a shuttle block toreceive a shuttle which carries a weft quill, a normally open electricswitch supported by the shuttle block effective when closed to stop theloom, a switch closer mounted for pivotal movement `on rthe shuttleblock normally in nonclosing position with respect to said switch, adetector pivoted on the shuttle having on the side thereof facing thequill -a thread eye through which the weft passes normally held innonindicating position relative to the shuttle by the weft when thelatter is intact but moving to indicating posi- `tion when the weft isbroken or slack, 'and cooperating means partly on that part of thedetector opposite to the quill and partly on the switch closer effectivedue to motion of the shuttle in -the shuttle block when the detcetor isin indicating position to move the closer pivotally with respect tothe`shuttle block to close ythe switch.

9. The stop motion set forth in claim 8 wherein the detector when movingto indicating position is engaged by a part `of the shuttle which causesthe detector to be inclined downwardly and forwardly.

l0. The stop motion set forth in claim 9 wherein said part of theshuttle is defined by a recess in the shuttle and a hole in the shuttleleading away from the recess provides a pivot bearing for the detector.

1l. In a narrow ware loom shuttle block having intersecting curvedgrooves for two shuttles each having a weft detector, one groove foreach shuttle, a pinion for cooperation with each shuttle, bearing meansfor the pinion supported by the block having -an axis in verticalalignment with the intersection of said grooves, a supporting base heldto the block by said bearing means, an electric switch supported by thebase, and a closer for said switch having pivotal connection with thebase spaced laterally from said bearing means and having a part insubstantial Vertical alignment with said axis for engagement with thedetector of either of said shuttles.

12. ln stopping means for a narrow ware loom having a shuttle block intowhich a shuttle moves, Ia detector on the shuttle normally innonindicating position when the weft of the shuttle is taut but fallingto indicating position when the weft i-s broken or slack, said detectorlying :substantially in a plane and pivoted to the shuttle to move aboutan axis lengthwise of the shuttle, `a base secured to the shuttle block,an electric switch on the base normally open but effective when closedto stop the loom, a switch closer pivoted on the base normally innonclosing position with respect to the switch having `a part forengagement with the detector when the latter `is in indicating positionas the shuttle moves into the shuttle block to be moved by the detectorto close the switch, and stop means on the shuttle for the detectorholding the latter when in indicating position so that the force exertedby the detector Ion the closer passes through said axis.

13. In an electric switch and switch closing unit for the 'shuttle blocklof ya narrow ware loom operating with a shuttle movable in the shuttleblock and having a detector in indicating position when the weft of theshuttle is broken, a ilat wall having provision for attachment -to theshuttle block, ears on opposite sides of wall extending forwardlytherefrom having bearings therein the axis of which is substantiallyparallel Ito and forward Iof the wall, a second wall substantiallyparallel to and forward of the flat wall, a normally open electricswitch secured to the second wall, a spring secured to the switch, and acircuit closer pivoted in said bearings having an arm for engagementwith said detect-or and yhaving a finger, said spring normally acting onsaid finger in `a direction to move said arm toward said wall, saiddetector when in indicating position during motion of the shuttle movingsaid arm away from said fiat wall and causing the finger vto move saidspring and cause closure of said switch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,512,428 Hutchins June 20, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 549,290 France Nov. l5,1922

